


What's Up Buddy?

by The_Defender (The_Optimist)



Series: Hey, Man [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Coming Out, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Galra Keith (Voltron), Homophobia, Identity Reveal, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Reveal, Short One Shot, basically the team finding out keith's a half galra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 22:29:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11723907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Optimist/pseuds/The_Defender
Summary: Keith has a lot to think about after the Trial of Marmora, including the reactions of his team mates.





	What's Up Buddy?

**Author's Note:**

> some use of homophobic/derogatory language in this chapter, avoid everything from "The entire trip was long and tedious..." to "... either one would do." all past tense

Keith barely held back a growl as he spun Red tightly around the Galra ship they were fighting. Diving forward, her claws ripped through the metal hull of the ship as if it were paper rather than strong metal made for keeping out the void of space. It had only been a day since he took the trials, and his body was still aching, almost worse than at the time. Shiro had wanted to tell the others what had happened as soon as they got back, but Keith was too tired to do so himself, and he didn't want Shiro to be the one to tell them. Of course, when he had been preparing himself to tell them this morning before Kolivan's meeting with the team, the alert had sounded and they'd all run off to their lions. According to Coran they'd stumbled across a single Galra control ship doing some deep space rounds, not that that made it any better having to fight them.

  
Keith wasn't sure how to feel about it all honestly. He was an alien now? Or well, at least part alien? The very people he was currently fighting, the people on the ship he was destroying, could he be related to any of them? His species had done terrible things, had any of his ancestors been involved in the destruction of Altea? It was a lot to handle, especially during a fight, as proven when he got knocked off course by a cruiser he hadn't seen before. "Watch it Keith!" Shiro had shouted just as he had collided with it, and Keith shook his head to clear his thoughts before darting off again.

  
"Yeah, get out of your own head for a bit Mullet," Lance said, and Red turned to show Lance blasting multiple ships at once with his ice shot, Hunk bowling through them on his way to the next target and smashing them to pieces. Keith scowled, but didn't reply, choosing to instead focus his rage on the battle.

  
It was over quickly after that, the ship having not been able to send out a distress signal as far as Coran could tell, and being too weak to stand up against the lions, even though they hadn't formed Voltron, something Keith was glad for. When they returned to the ship, Kolivan was waiting for them, looking serious. Keith avoided eye contact with the Blade leader, instead turning to give Shiro a pleading look. Shiro sighed, but nodded at him, before moving to the front of the group to greet Kolivan.

  
"Hello Kolivan, we'll be ready to start the meeting soon, but there was something the paladins and I need to discuss first, if you don't mind." Shiro gestured slightly to Keith, though it could be interpreted as gesturing to all of the paladins if Kolivan didn't know better.

  
He ground his teeth slightly, seeing the delay as necessary but not liking it all the same. "Two minutes, then the meeting must go ahead," he directed at both Keith and Shiro, before turning and walking off. Shiro turned to face the teenagers gathered around him, looking curious and bored between them.

  
"Keith?" Shiro asked, and the boy in question sighed, before nodding. The others turned to look at him, concern and interest written across all their faces now.

  
"Yesterday, when we were with the Blade of Marmora, I brought my knife with me-" Keith began, quickly being cut off by Hunk.

  
"What?! Even though they said no weapons?! Keith!" Hunk got a glare from Keith, and a look from Shiro, and paused.

"Sorry, go on."

  
"Yeah, anyway, I took my knife with me, and they found out somehow, and asked me to give it up 'cause they thought I had stolen it," Keith continued, only to be interrupted by Pidge this time.

  
"Wait, why did they think you stole it?"

  
Keith's expression was getting darker by the second. "It's the same type of blade as the ones they carry, and only Blade members have them. You can tell because they have a symbol on the hilt," he got a few nods of understanding before continuing on. "I didn't want to give it up, so they put me through the trial to gain 'knowledge or death,' which was why Red was attacking the base," more nods. "Eventually I figured it out and beat the trial, sort of, but I decided to give up the knife rather than continue to fight 'cause I realised I didn't need to know." Shiro was giving him a proud smile and the others looked confused and a tad shocked.

  
"Know what?" Lance asked, quietly for once. Keith searched his eyes briefly, but they were soft and sincere.

  
"About my heritage. But giving up the blade activated it, and well, it confirmed what I've thought for a while now," Keith took a deep breath, eyes scanning the floor in front of his feet rather than the faces of his friends. "I'm part Galra," he said at last, and wait for the negative reaction he knew was coming.

  
There was quiet for a few seconds, before Pidge whispered "what?" into the heavy silence. Suddenly, as if something had snapped, Keith was aware of another presence. He looked up quickly, only to see a wide eyed Allura and Coran stood in the door, Kolivan behind them. Keith felt his heart plummet, he hadn't been ready to face them yet, he hadn't wanted to do this in front of the others, hadn't wanted to be rejected so thoroughly in front of his friends for being Galra, if they even accepted him in the first place. The urge to run was strong, and he would have done so if a hand hadn't grabbed his arm tightly, holding him in place. He looked back and saw Lance's concerned eyes watching him.

  
"Don't run, please," he said quietly, something only intended for him. Keith took a deep breath and nodded, glad to know he at least had Shiro and Lance on his side. Allura shut her mouth audibly, and Keith snapped his gaze back to her. There were a few ticks of intense staring before Allura spoke again, voice rough with anger.

  
"We'll begin the meeting now," she turned on her heel and marched away, leaving a stunned audience behind her. Coran gave him a weak smile before following in the Princess' wake, leaving Kolivan alone in the doorway.

  
"You heard her, meeting time," Shiro said, ushering everyone out ahead of him into the hallway to lead Kolivan to the control room, but he held Keith back. Lance shot them a look over his shoulder, but Keith gave him a brief nod, one he returned, before Lance continued on with Hunk and Pidge. "Hey, it's going to be okay, you know?" Shiro said to Keith, but the words felt hollow.

  
"That's what you said when Yoshimi and Uta found out I was gay, and look how well that turned out," Keith said harsher than he intended, and winced slightly at the guilt on Shiro's face. "Sorry," he said quietly, but Shiro just sighed.

  
"It's fine. Come on," he pulled Keith beside him, and the two of them walked to the meeting room in silence. This was going to go terribly.

  
The meeting was long, and he got and Hunk got assigned to go find a Weblum, which yeah, sounds real fun. The entire trip was long and tedious and sure, he bonded with Hunk which was actually kind of nice, Hunk was a good guy and seemed genuinely friendly, something Keith couldn't say he experienced often. But he kept making comment on Keith being 'Galra Keith' now, rather than regular Keith like he had always been. He hadn't changed, he just knew more about himself know, and whilst he was glad Hunk was being accepting of if, he didn't want it to become the defining aspect of his personality. It reminded him too closely of his time living in the Shirogane household, when he was 'faggot' or 'fairy' rather than Keith. He wasn't going to say that to Hunk though, he'd just hope Hunk eventually got over it or stopped caring about Keith entirely, either one would do.

  
Other than Hunk, Allura seemed to be a avoiding him, Pidge seemed to be avoiding acknowledging it, Coran was trying to act as friendly as possible when they were in the same room, even though Keith could see it hurt him, and Lance was just looking at him sadly, like he was concerned about Keith or something. Keith wasn't sure where he would have gotten that idea from, as far as Keith knew Lance barely tolerated him, why would he care now? But a smaller part of him said Lance was the _only_  one beside Shiro who cared, who still saw him as Keith, like he was before, even if the others didn't. Keith could only hope for the best, and continue to fight against the people he now knew where his own, and hope his new almost-family eventually accepted him again. He couldn't deal with another heartbreak.


End file.
